7 Burning Questions We Want Answered in ‘Ozark’ Season 4 - Netflix Tudum

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    7 Burning Questions We Want Answered in ‘Ozark’ Season 4

    Marty and Wendy Byrde get more brilliant and more cutthroat

    By Peter A. Berry
    Jan. 25, 2022

In Ozark Season 3, Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) are more brilliant, cutthroat, and fearless than ever as they outscheme and outlast ruthless cartel members and FBI agents alike. And for all their efforts, they’re rewarded with a closer working relationship with a drug lord who, at any moment, could kill them and their entire family. Such is the state of things in Ozark, a show where one ill-advised side-hustle leads to years of indentured servitude.

Warning: There are a LOT of spoilers below.

Unfolding after the deaths of Helen (Janet McTeer) and Wendy’s brother Ben (Tom Pelphrey) and the demise of the Lagunas cartel, the first installment of Season 4 (the other half will follow later this year) begins on familiar shaky ground. Ruth (Julia Garner) is on the outs with the Byrde family after Wendy’s vicious move, Special Agent Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes) is back to tracking Marty and Wendy’s casino and Darlene (Lisa Emery) is just as wild as ever. A lot has changed between Seasons 3 and 4, and with those changes come a lot of burning questions.

Are Marty and Wendy any safer than they were before?

Considering the alternatives, such as possibly being murdered by cartel head Omar Navarro (Felix Solis), Helen getting killed at the end of Season 3 was probably the best case scenario for the Byrdes. In theory, working closer with Navarro should give them a little more security, and, at the moment, they don’t have a cutthroat lawyer plotting their downfall. And yet, seeing the way Navarro handles his employees, it’s also not exactly a dream promotion. As Marty and Wendy are further engulfed by the drug world, Navarro’s ambitions grow even grander and the FBI’s focus only sharpens. If they mess up, they could get the Helen treatment. If they’re successful in pushing Navarro’s drug empire to new heights, they could be brought down by the Feds.

Will Helen’s disappearance put more heat on the Byrde family?

Bodies have been piling up in the Ozarks dating back to Season 1, but due to local corruption and the clandestine ways of the cartel, they haven’t been something that the Byrdes have had to deal with much. But Helen was a respected lawyer with an ex-husband and a teenage daughter...and a partnership with the Byrdes. Those connections make Helen someone who can’t be forgotten about, and when people want to get to the bottom of her disappearance, they could find themselves stuck in a Byrde-Navarro murder trap.

How is Jonah going to treat his family after learning Wendy had Ben killed?

By all accounts, the Byrdes are a mess, and now, after Jonah’s learned that his own mother gave Helen what she needed to get his uncle Ben killed, things should get a lot messier. While there’s a chance that Ben’s reckless behavior, including revealing cartel business to Helen’s teenage daughter, getting into bar fights and making a scene at the Byrde’s business functions, could have gotten everyone in their family killed, Jonah’s not liable to see things that way. He’s still a minor, and he just lost someone he loved. It’s up in the air for now, but, presumably, he’s not going to be too happy with his mom. In a show where secrets are the only thing separating the Byrdes from certain death, his attitude could be a serious issue.

How will the Byrdes explain Ben’s death?

Like Helen’s, Ben’s death — or disappearance, for all we, the viewers, know — isn’t something that’ll be glossed-over. Considering there’s a bench warrant out for his arrest — courtesy of a fight he got into at a high school in North Carolina — authorities might contact the Byrdes first. But soon, it could be members of Wendy’s family, or the Feds, who already know the Byrdes are involved in money laundering. They’re going to need an explanation, and “I don’t know” probably won’t cut it.

Inline Image: 7 Burning Questions We Want Answered in ‘Ozark’ Season 4 Inline Image

Will Ruth ever forgive Marty and Wendy?

By the beginning of Season 3, Ruth has developed a solid relationship with Marty. Marty has her gainfully employed; he’s there to give advice and, ironically, he shows her a more organized, if not more sustainable, approach to handling business. However, after Wendy has her brother — Ruth’s boyfriend — killed, Ruth quits working at the casino and cuts all ties with the Byrdes. The question is: How long will all of this last? After all, Ruth has gotten over Wendy having her treacherous father killed, so it’s not impossible that she’ll eventually reconcile with the Byrdes.

Will Frank Jr. try to get revenge on Darlene?

While Darlene makes a multimillion-dollar deal with the head of the KC Mob to atone for shooting off Frank Jr.’s pecker, she doesn’t make the deal with Frank Jr., and, um, it’s not hard to see him being a little angry about the whole situation. His dad has generally shown that he can get folks to fall in line, but Frank might have plans of his own, and they might involve exacting revenge on Darlene — consequences be damned.

Is Navarro going to war with Darlene?

If you’ve been keeping score, you already know Navarro doesn’t like competition, and with her plans to restart her heroin business, that’s exactly what Darlene Snell is poised to become. That means she should be getting ready for a series of shootouts and more than a few casualties — unless she has a change of heart. Don’t bet on it. 

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